To Join a Gym or Not

sekeitheswingdreamer
sekeitheswingdreamer Posts: 31
edited October 1 in Fitness and Exercise
I would like to get people's advice on this matter. I began using myfitness pal just a few days ago. My plan is to use walking as my main source of exercise to keep my calorie count in check. I have debated joining a gym with myself extensively. Joining a gym in my area costs anywhere from $50 to $100 a month. It is not exactly out of my means....but is it really worth it? Could I lose just as much weight just doing things on my own?

Replies

  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    Join! I loveeee the group exercise classes!
  • Elle_Jamaicangirl81
    Elle_Jamaicangirl81 Posts: 418 Member
    if u like group stuff... sure.

    if u have things at home (and know u'll do them) then why spend the extra money? I use DVDs and i have a treadmill and it works well for me.

    its really up to u and your preferences.
  • chickenpoppa
    chickenpoppa Posts: 207 Member
    i >3 the gym:-)
  • rharris86dc
    rharris86dc Posts: 635 Member
    I love my gym! I honestly don't think I would have stuck with anything on my own - I'd get bored of dvds, and walking doesn't really give me the burn I need to lose weight.
    My gym has some great amenities, and my weekly Zumba classes keep me super motivated! It's also been good to be able to experiment with the weight equipment, because I really want to get strong, instead of just skinny!
  • dreaasha
    dreaasha Posts: 31
    Loooooove the gym. I love all the weight equipment they have, it's like a fun little maze that I lift weights in. And the treadmills, the ellipticals, the bikes, the stairmasters, oh my. Don't forget those spinning and yoga classes. Love it. I can't recommend the gym any stronger!
  • Kimmer2011
    Kimmer2011 Posts: 569 Member
    Sometimes a gym sounds tempting, but I really love walking. When the weather gets bad, I'll need to figure out something else, but until then, I'm happy at home.
  • sekeitheswingdreamer
    sekeitheswingdreamer Posts: 31
    Well what I really want to do is to get rid of as much fat as possible before I start building muscle. I've heard that building muscle while you still at your normal weight is like packing a can of tuna or something.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    I know for a fact that YMCAs will let you pay whatever you can afford. Many of them have excellent facilities.

    I don't want to be mean, but walking is not a great weight loss exercise.
    You need to sweat, really sweat to get your body going.
    If you kick it up to jogging, it will help alot.

    Remeber that humans are animals and we can outdistance almost any animal, what I mean is that walking is hands down the easiest thing for a human to do(besides nothing).

    Good Luck
  • hstallings13
    hstallings13 Posts: 306
    I do dvd's and Running/walking outside. No need to spend the extra money imo. 10$ for 30 days shred and 3.5 miles a day....works for me
  • sshap21712
    sshap21712 Posts: 139
    I,too, love my gym. I wouldn't have made half the progress I have without it. Mine, however, is only $10 a month, so it's super affordable. I think a video would get dull after a while. and I couldn't do without the weights or the elliptical.
  • maygs
    maygs Posts: 63 Member
    I say join unless you have your own excercise equipment. I live in a small city and dont want to drive 30 minutes to a gym so I decided to invest in a stationary bike (my favorite form of excerise) However if I had a gym close by I would defentily join because when I was enrolled in a gym (a few years ago in college) I would compete with my neighbors on the machines without them knowing. If they were going 14mph I would go 16mph just for my pleasure :)
    Great motivation!
  • soknurdy
    soknurdy Posts: 74 Member
    Walking is not enough! If you need peer pressure, join the gym. If you can self-motivate, you can probably get by without it. The classes are a ton of fun though. (o: See if you can get some kind of discount via Costco's 24-Hr Fitness or through someone else who might have membership. They also run sales annually allowing you to get things like initiation for free.
  • sekeitheswingdreamer
    sekeitheswingdreamer Posts: 31
    I appreciate everyone's input. The only thing about the gym though is I would feel so awkward there, mostly because I would have no idea what I was supposed to be doing.
  • wmfricke
    wmfricke Posts: 1 Member
    I've lost 45 lbs. just walking. The difference of calorie burn per mile of walking vs. running is relatively low. It just takes twice as long to walk that mile. But your joints will last well into your senior years. I also do my best thinking while walking. 8 miles at my weight is over 1000 calories.

    I enjoy walking outside and tracking it on my Droid with www.endomondo.com. The calorie calculations are very good when you program your weight in. It also displays your sessions on a calendar on their website. Nice motivator.

    MyFitPal has helped me because while I was losing weight, I started getting frustrated with the variability of the loss. Now I'm on perfect track losing 2 lbs. per week. Piece of cake (literally if I get my 8 miles in...)
  • geekymom57
    geekymom57 Posts: 176 Member
    If you can, try a weeks' membership at any gym you're considering before you join. If there are multiple gyms available, including the no-frills 24/hour places, try all of them and see what appeals to you. Being locked into $50-$100 month for a year or more and not getting your money's worth is not someone most people want to get themselve into.

    I hate group classes, and they are also at times that don't work for my work schedule, so they have no appeal for me. I like to exercise at odd hours, so a place that's open late and on weekend evenings is a preference. It needs to be close so I don't have to spend a lot of time or gas money to get there and back. And it needs to provide something you're not getting at home--whether it's the social aspect, equipment, classes, etc.--it needs to be something you actually want.

    I explain this because the gym that I recently joined (took over a membership at a very good monthly price) has a whirlpool that isn't nearly what I was used to at my former gym, and the sauna doesn't get as hot as I would like, plus they don't allow you to put water on the rocks. I have a gym-grade elliptical at home in our large home-theatre area, and with no kids currently living at home, I can use that any time I want and watch whatever I want. So for me, the benefits of a gym are the sauna, whirlpool, and the availability of other equpment, if I feel like using it. But in reality, it's mostly the sauna and whirlpool, which are two ways that really help me relax and destress. So that means the two things that are the main reason I joined the gym aren't as satisfactory as I would like. I'm getting my $30/month, and it's only a 5 minute drive from my house, but if I had anted up $50 or $75, I'd be kicking myself for not doing a test drive.
  • tusher2011
    tusher2011 Posts: 201 Member
    I don't agree with the poster that walking is not enough. You can get a really good, sweaty, heart rate up workout by walking alone.

    OP, don't forget to look into your health insurance...many of them offer discounts at gyms. If you aren't comfortable knowing all the stuff there..ask a trainer or research online that's what I did:)

    I ended up joining a gym 3 months ago right when I started here. Even though I have a treadmill at home, dvd;s, and ondemand...I just needed to have something to get myself out the door and just do it. No more excuses... I joined a small one 5 min from my house. I workout, and get the hell out. That's all I want. I don't need a bunch of classes and all that stuff.

    Good luck!
  • Kate6868
    Kate6868 Posts: 159 Member
    I appreciate everyone's input. The only thing about the gym though is I would feel so awkward there, mostly because I would have no idea what I was supposed to be doing.

    If you decide to go the gym route and do not know what to do, many gyms have personal trainers that you can hire. Hiring one for a month or two to get you started might be a good way to get started and set goals.
  • pickenslmc
    pickenslmc Posts: 47 Member
    Walking is enough for most people. I actually think increasing daily activity is enough for most people. Gyms are great if you like group classes or have specific goals in mind, but many memberships sit wasted. I enjoy walking, I enjoy hula hooping so those are the exercises I do.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    I joined the gym for a couple reasons, at home I get distracted. It also has enough machinery that I can mix it up as needed. Only problem I have is my gym is a bunch of skinny buff people then there is me. It's a small gym and doesn't offer group classes though either. It's just a hop on the machine and go.
  • stephn1
    stephn1 Posts: 21 Member
    My husband and I joined a Gym in January we started with a month to month membership, but have switched to a 2 yr membership. I was concerned too about the other people , but that isn't an issue at all. I joined an aqua aerobic class and the group was so friendly. Everyone was friendly. They have what they call lifestyle coaches and we were assigned to one and that person is there to show us how to use the machines and answer any questions. We had one free session with a personal trainer and if we wanted we could pay for additional time, but neither of us needed that although the personal trainer my husband had helped him different times for free. The one thing I found was at home I would say I will ride my exercise bike and then not do it. But with paying for the membership I go to the gym almost every day. I take the free classes offered. I really like the eliptical but I can switch to the treadmill or bike anytime I want or do both. I still can go walking outside. But it has been too hot to walk outside. So it depends on your motivation and discipline. But I have made new friends and really am having fun.
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
    My gym is 10 bucks a month. I didn't go for the first six months of the membership, but it is always in the back of your mind that it is there.
  • CindyWarner
    CindyWarner Posts: 138
    If you have joint issues, try a gym with a pool. exercise in the water is the best! It can be as hard as you want it to be and still be ok for your joints!

    :flowerforyou:
  • jpamplin28
    jpamplin28 Posts: 76 Member
    It really depends on what your needs are. I workout a home right now using free weights, dvds, and an elliptical simply because the ones that have childcare (dh is deployed) are just too far of a drive with the traffic. Now when he returns I will probably join a gym just to have some me time. I agree that trying out several (if that's an option) to see which one works better for you before joining.
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
    i joined a gym 5 years ago, on a 12 month contract, went about 6 times then quit. the reason was 2 fold.
    a) i really wasnt motivated as i wasnt as big as i am now and b) they werent open at the times i wanted to go. i think we (my wife and i) joined because "it was the thing to do"

    last october i started running, then after dropping about 5kg and stopping, i joine mfp and dropped another 7. Then my wife had a baby and winter set in, so the running stopped and the food watching stopped. i put on about 2kg (which isnt too bad).

    i joined a gym 2 weeks ago and have been 7 times already. i love it. i do my run, and im running harder and faster on the treadmill (yes i know treaddys a phyically easier). but after that i do a rowing machine and then the bike. When i was running on my own i burnt between 300 and 450 depending how far i went (usually 3 - 5km). in one night at the gym im burning between 750 and 900.

    i dont really know what i am doing either. i just jump on the cardio machines and go. dont really have any other aims than spending x minutes on the machine (and reaching speeds for x minutes on the tready). i dont touch the weights cos i have no idea.

    in a couple weeks i will get a couple of PT sessions to get an idea of other things i should. people worry so much about what others at the gym will think, but most of them are to busy doing their own crap.
  • ambermichon
    ambermichon Posts: 404 Member
    I wouldnt give up the gym for anything. Such a variety there to keep you going and motivated...weights, cardio equipment, classes. Also watching others in great shape gives me something to aspire to......and I keep going. At home I make excuses but thats just me maybe.
  • sekeitheswingdreamer
    sekeitheswingdreamer Posts: 31
    Again, I appreciate the feedback from everyone. I have come to the conclusion that joining a gym has its pros and cons (as does everything) and its necessity is dependent upon the needs, goals, and drive of an individual. With this information I think I can now make an informed decision. Thank you so much for all your input.
  • knitnurse72
    knitnurse72 Posts: 8
    I also disagree that walking is not good exercise - I lost 40 pounds just over 11 years ago by dieting and walking just 20 minutes a day most days. I have also belonged to a gym, which I just canceled because I was never going - it was hard for me to get to, the times for the classes, which I do enjoy, just didn't work for me, and I felt like it was wasting my money. So I'm back to walking - I can certainly fit it into my schedule so much better. If you have cable, look for the free exercise shows you can do at home - I like to do these when it's raining or I just want something different. There are all kinds of work-outs - aerobics, toning, dancing, walking, etc. - I'm sure you could find some to suit you! We have Verizon, and the free exercise videos are under "Exercise TV." I'm pretty sure Comcast has a similar program. Good luck - I think the most important thing, regardless of the type of exercise, is that you just do it!
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